Lenormand Card Meanings

3. The Ship

Interpreting The Ship

The Ship is the third card of the Lenormand and represents travel, movement and change. Whilst typically describing a physical journey, such as an overseas trip or moving house, The Ship can also refer to emotional and spiritual journeys that encourage personal growth and expansion through change. It is the card of the seeker, inspiring a search for something greater.

The Ship can indicate a departure (as opposed to The Rider which indicates an arrival) and sometimes appears in a reading to inform you that you’ve missed out on an opportunity (“the ship has sailed”). The Ship is a sign that it is time to distance yourself from something and to move towards something else. The journey represented by The Ship won’t always be smooth sailing, but part of the message of this card is to persevere and go the distance.

The Ship as a Person

As a person, The Ship describes someone who is a free spirit. They are a traveller by nature and are always seeking a new adventure. They are transient, never staying in one place for too long, and they may suffer from commitment issues as they prefer to keep things moving. Often, The Ship describes a foreigner or someone who is far away.

Physically, The Ship describes someone whose appearance stands out amongst the locals.

The Ship can represent a sailor, a navy officer, a captain, the coastguard, or anyone who works on or around boats. The Ship can represent anyone in the transport industry, or someone involved in import or export. The Ship can also refer to a translator, a travel agent, or someone who travels frequently (for work or otherwise).

The Ship as a Place

The Ship can represent any body of water – from the ocean, to a river, to a swimming pool. It can indicate a port or marina, or anywhere people depart from, such as a train or bus station.

The Ship as an Object

The Ship can signify any type of watercraft and can also describe any vehicle used for long distance transport including a bus, truck or train.

The Ship as Advice

The Ship asks you to seek growth and expansion by changing your circumstances or your environment. It encourages slow but steady progress and asks you not to give up when the seas get rough. The Ship can also indicate that you need to distance yourself from something – the card that falls to the rear of The Ship describes what you should leave behind, whereas the card The Ship is facing describes the direction you should head in.